Better Late Than Never
by DarkElements10
Summary: [Post Series]. Six years after the band split up, Kendall; now a firefighter candidate, Logan; a student and EMT, Carlos; a police officer, and James; struggling with his solo career reunite under dire circumstances. [ONE-SHOT]


**Better Late Than Never  
**

**Summary- [Post Series]. Six years after the band split up, Kendall; now a firefighter candidate, Logan; a student and EMT, Carlos; a police officer, and James; struggling with his solo career reunite under dire circumstances.**

* * *

**Kendall Knight**

**Firefighter Candidate**

Kendall's eyes snapped open when he heard quick, loud raps on his door. He blinked his burning eyes, staring up at the ceiling in confusion. The room was dark and small, big enough for a bed, a small desk, and a small refrigerator, but not much else.

A window sat to his left allowing slivers of light to come in through the blinds, bringing in some light to the gray, concrete room. To his right was a wall of windows and a door covered in closed blinds. He let out a sigh through his nose, allowing his eyes to flutter shut, only to pop open a second time when the loud rapping cam a second time; faster.

"Candidate! Get up. You have visitors."

_Oh, right_, Kendall thought to himself. _Another shift at the fire house. _Kendall swung his legs to the floor, reaching for his shoes. "I'm up!" he called back and he watched as a shadow passed by his windows. He slid his feet into his shoes and quickly laced them before getting to his feet, stretching his back muscles before reaching for the doorknob to his room.

He paused; turning back towards the mirror hung up on his wall and peered at it. He ran a hand over his flat hair down past his nose and across the stubbly hair that covered his upper lip, and around his mouth and chin. At twenty-five years old, he never thought working his way towards being a firefighter was in his life plan.

It was funny how things changed so quickly.

Kendall stretched his arms above his head, letting out a loud yawn, before making his way out of his sleeping quarters. He rubbed at his eyes before gently slapping his cheeks, trying to wake himself up faster. He had another long day of work at the firehouse; cleaning, cooking, being the butt of everybody's jokes. It was worth it if it meant he could become an official member of the firehouse. Saving people's lives was worth it.

Kendall broke into a smile when he spotted his mom's familiar red hair as he looped around the kitchen counter, past the table where a few other firefighters were playing cards, and past the lounge area, to give his mom, and sister, Katie, a tight hug.

"You must've grown a foot since I've seen you, Baby Sis," Kendall said to Katie, taking a step away from her to give her a warm smile.

"Yeah, right." Katie rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. He remembered when she was ten years old, the same incredulous look on her face when he said he didn't want to move to California to sing…

That seemed like a lifetime ago.

She was now nineteen-years-old now, a young woman, with the world at her feet…literally. She had proven herself to be a decent talent manager with a few big jobs while in California, but it was money that was always her first and last love, leading her to decide to attend business school. Katie sure had grown up. Who was once a little girl with big dreams, she was now a young lady who walked and talked exuding confidence and wisdom beyond her years.

"We were out shopping and thought we'd stop by to see if you'd like to have lunch with us," Mrs. Knight explained, brushing her auburn hair behind her ears. Kendall wondered if she was ever going to stop coloring her hair. He knew she only did it when he and his friends drove her crazy and now that they had all grown up and moved on with their lives…

"I have to check with Chief, but I'm sure it'll be ok," Kendall replied, jerking his thumb over his shoulder before grasping at the belt loops of his pants, tugging them upwards, his hands brushing against his suspenders as they fell down the back of his legs.

"You look like you need it," Katie commented, her brown eyes glowing as her lips pulled back into her familiar teasing smile. "Still as skinny as ever."

"Katie, be nice," Mrs. Knight said, putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. A frown crossed her face. "I _am _worried though. Have you been eating enough?"

"Moo-o-oom," Kendall groaned, closing his eyes, tilting his head back. It _had _to be a reflex or something for her to constantly worry about whether or not he was eating. "I love you, but I'm fine. I'm eating enough; it's just all the training and calls that's keeping me this size. It helps if I need to wiggle into tight spaces. I'm ok, really."

"With me here to keep him in line, you have nothing to worry about," Logan Mitchell said as he clapped Kendall's back. Kendall rolled his eyes, shoving Logan's shoulder before his friend moved to give Katie and his mom a hug. He had a bag on his arm, stuffed with so many papers and books; it looked like it was going to explode. Kendall wondered when Logan was last able to close the bag.

"Lunch offer is open to you as well, Logan," Mrs. Knight said as she rubbed his back before gently patting his cheek. "You look like you need some food as well. I don't know how you do it; juggling school and working here. Oh, you boys." Katie shoved her hands into her jeans pockets, twisting her mouth to the side, but didn't say anything.

"I'd be happy to join you for lunch," Logan said, gently tugging at his shirt collar. "Nothing has been happening today, so-"

"No!" Kendall practically shouted, eyes widening as he turned to slap his hand over Logan's mouth. "No, no, no, no, no!" Logan looked back at Kendall, eyes filled with a silent apology when a peal hit the air. Logan's shoulders slid upwards as he sucked in a breath of air. Kendall stood still, angling his head to the side.

"_Truck 13, truck 3, squad 2, squad 8, ambulance 5, ambulance 21. Multiple car pileup..._"

"That's us," Kendall said with a heavy sigh before reaching for the straps to his suspenders, lifting them to rest on his shoulders. He looked over at Logan who had a look of alarm on his face. Kendall could feel the familiar rush of fear, worry, and confidence rush through his body as he was called to another emergency. He turned back towards his mom and Katie. "We'll be back soon."

"Stay safe, Big Brother," Katie said, stepping forward to give him a hug.

"I will, Baby Sister," Kendall replied, hugging her back before running a hand down the back of her head, smoothing out her hair before he quickly kissed her forehead. Katie wiped at the spot despite the smile on her face. "Don't worry." He then stepped towards his mom, wrapping an arm around her, kissing her cheek, giving her a quick hug. "_Please. _Don't worry."

"Can't help it," Mrs. Knight replied.

Kendall gave her a smile and reached out a hand to muss Katie's hair, dodging her hand as she moved to slap at him, before hurrying out towards his fire truck; number 13. Many would connotate the number thirteen to mean bad luck, but it was always one of his lucky numbers. It had started back at pee-wee hockey when he was given thirteen as his first official jersey…

"_Let's go, let's go_!"

"_Candidate, hurry up!_"

"I'm on it," Kendall shouted, hurrying towards his truck, removing his black and yellow coat from the handle on the outside, sliding into it.

The familiar weight of the coat on bore down on his shoulders, but it would only get heavier the minute he needed to add his breathing apparatus and helmet. He grasped the handle on the side of the truck and lifted himself up before turning towards the ambulance on the other side of the floor.

"Be careful, Logie," Kendall called out. Logan lifted a hand in the air before disappearing around the side of the ambulance. Kendall grabbed his helmet, holding it under his arm and used his free hand to grasp the handle on the side of the truck, lifting himself inside. "Slide over, Mikowski."

"Sounds like a big one, Knight," Mikowski said as Kendall dropped onto the bench beside him. "Let's hope there are no mortalities."

"Not just hope, Mikowski," Kendall said gravely, nodding towards another firefighter that climbed on board. "Pray. And pray hard." Kendall wiggled his gloved fingers before shaking out his arms, his shoulders, he rolled his neck, and shook out his legs.

Being nervous caused accidents. Being nervous caused mistakes. Being nervous caused rash decisions, all dangerous things when someone's life was in his hands. It was only years before that he had one of his best friend's life in his hands, and as the fire truck pulled out of the housing bay, turning onto the street, it was about to happen all over again.

* * *

**Logan Mitchell**

**Student and EMT**

Logan Mitchell felt a cold wave crash over his body when he heard the alarm sound indicating his ambulance number being called out to attend to the car crash. Kendall quickly bade goodbye to his family before hurrying off, but he saw the looks of worry on the Knight girls' faces.

"If it helps," Logan said, taking his turn to give them a parting hug, "he thinks about you all the time. He has your pictures in his locker and in his sleeping quarters." He gave Mrs. Knight and Katie a warm smile before rushing over to the table nearest him, removing his bag of school books from over his head, dropping it into a chair.

He then rushed down the hall with the other firefighters and paramedics, making his way onto the main floor as sunlight poured in as the doors opened. He hurried over to his ambulance and pulled the back doors open, his eyes scanning the area, quickly taking in inventory, before he slammed them shut, slapping the back of the truck, twice. It shook once before roaring to life, spitting out exhaust from the tailpipe.

Hearing his name called, he looked over at Kendall as he waved a gloved hand in the air. "I'll see you down there, Kendall," he shouted, hurrying around the ambulance to jump into the passenger seat. He slammed the door shut behind him, and pulled his seat belt across his chest, snapping it into its holster. "Let's roll, Bates."

"Hold on," Bates replied, turning on the siren, pressing his foot down on the gas pedal, pulling out of the station.

Logan closed his eyes, slowly breathing in and out of his nose, trying to calm himself down. He tried to go back to a better place, to a time where he didn't have so much pressure on him, where one small move could set off a chain reaction of events; good or , he couldn't remember a time; if it wasn't pee-wee hockey, it was keeping his friends out of trouble. If it wasn't keeping his friends out of trouble, it was helping James make his music dreams come true.

Truth be told, he had started to think he was supposed to live a life full of chain reactions. He ran that risk every day he took a step towards becoming a doctor. It's what made everybody look towards him to see if he could predict the outcomes of a situation. But one like this; a multi-car pileup, even he couldn't predict the outcome.

Even back then, he always cracked under the pressure and Kendall would be the one to step up and take charge. But, not this time. Not anymore. He was an EMT now, he had to take in all the details before making any decisions, and he had to do so without cracking.

"_Ambo five reporting_." Bates' voice snapped Logan out of his thoughts and his eyes flew open, peering out the vast window in front of him as they raced down the busy streets, following behind the fire truck. "_We're on our way_."

"_Ambulance five, heard. Get here as quick as you can_."

Logan's head turned towards his collar, his ear right next to the radio that was pinned to his shirt. "_Sounds like it's going to be a big one, Logie_." Logan felt his heart sink. It was rare for him to hear Kendall's voice laden with worry, but whenever he did, it always sent a chill down his spine.

"Just stay calm," Logan replied, reaching up a hand to grasp his radio to respond to his friend. "Don't ignore your judgments, and don't think of the 'or else'. Just do what you have to do. Think straight and you have a higher percent chance of leaving with your head held high."

Logan heard Kendall chuckle from his end. "Whatever you say, Mitchell." Logan allowed a hint of a smile to come to his face before releasing his radio. He let out a slow breath out of his nose. "It's going to be bad, isn't it?"

"Head on collision caused by DUI, other vehicles tried to stop before crashing, not enough brake distance between them," Bates listed off and Logan let out a groan, shaking his head. "No, Mitchell, it's not going to be good. Bad doesn't begin to describe it." He lifted his hand off of the steering wheel and hit Logan's shoulder. "Stick to your training, and you'll be fine."

"Yeah, thanks," Logan said, tightly gripping the seat belt that stretched across his chest. He slowly breathed in and out of his mouth. No matter how many calls he fulfilled while on duty, he was never prepared enough for what he could potentially see on the scene.

Bates spun the wheel of the ambulance taking a sharp corner and then they saw it; crushed cars, people sitting on the side of the road bleeding, cars on their sides, smoke, and flames as the licked their ways out from underneath bent hoods.

_Oh, God_, Logan thought to himself, fumbling for his seat belt.

"Hey," Bates said, grabbing his shoulder. "Take a deep breath and just let yourself work." He gently shook Logan's shoulder before clapping his arm. "You'll be fine."

Logan nodded his head before popping his seat belt, pulling it across his chest before grabbing the door handle. He pulled on it and the car door popped open and he slid out. He hurried around to the back of the ambulance and popped the doors open. He reached for his bag sitting on the floor and hauled it over his shoulder.

"I'll check everyone here; you go see if anyone's still in their cars and injured, or in dire need of medical help," Bates said, grabbing his own bag, hauling it over his shoulder. He quickly unzipped it, reaching into the bag to retrieve a pair of gloves. "Hurry, go!"

Logan nodded his head before gripping his bag, hurrying around the ambulance and into the throng of chaos. He coughed and sputtered as heat rushed past his body, smoke hanging in the air, burning his nose. He pushed through people calling out his apologies and asking them to move as he made his way towards one of the first cars that had crashed into a guard rail.

"Anything I can do to help?" Logan asked, stepping towards one of the firefighters.

"Nah," he said, shaking his head. "DOA."

Logan closed his eyes before patting the firefighter on the shoulder. He took a deep breath and looked around, hurrying towards a white Ferrari facing the oncoming traffic. He peered closer and saw a figured slumped over the driver's seat.

"We've got a man over here," he called, waving his hand in the air before jogging over towards the car. He reached for the door handle and pulled, but it wouldn't budge. He glanced down and saw that there was a dent in the side of the car.

"Is he ok?" a firefighter asked, rushing over. Logan peered in through the window and saw blood dripping down the side of the man's face.

"Head injury, can't tell how bad from here," Logan replied as the firefighter tried the door. "Door's not locked."

"It's jammed," the firefighter, muttered. He then cupped a gloved hand around his mouth and shouted, "_We need the jaws. Hurry!_"

Logan stepped back as shouts filled the air and a couple more firefighters rushed over. One of the men broke the window with a seatbelt cutter, sprinkling glass all over the ground. Logan rushed forward and pressed his fingers to the driver's neck, his eyes darting around the area.

"I've got a pulse. BP 140/80," he announced. "Sir? Can you hear me?" He dropped his bag to the ground and reached inside to remove a stethoscope. He grabbed the binaural piece, pulling them apart to stick the earpieces in his ears. He then grasped the chest piece and then leaned into the car to put the chest piece to the man's chest. "Nothing obstructing his airway." He then reached for the radio on his shirt. "Bates, we need to get a stretcher over here."

"_On my way_."

"Back up," a firefighter commanded, hurrying towards the car with the Jaws of Life in his hands. He gently bumped one of his fellow firefighters with his arm. "Start cutting over there." A series of grinding sounds filled the air as the two firemen started cutting at the door. Sparks shot out into the open air twisting and turning, spiraling towards the ground before it burned out. "Ok, door's off."

Two firemen quickly removed the cut off door and Logan hurried forward, gently running his hand around the back of the man's head before gently pushing him back against the back rest of his seat. He reached for his bag, grabbing the strap, pulling it across the ground. He reached inside for a small zip up container and opened it, reaching for a pair of scissors. Starting at the bottom of the man's shirt, he cut upwards until the shirt was cut in half.

"He's going to have a bad bruise," Logan explained, setting the scissors down. "Where's that stretcher?"

"Right here," Bates said, carrying a yellow stretcher under his arm. "Explain to me what's going on." He set the stretcher on the ground before helping Logan reach for the man, carefully pulling him out of the car.

"High blood pressure, knocked out, but pulse going strong," Logan quickly listed off. "Bruise of the steering wheel or seat belt might appear over the next few…" He trailed off when a sparkle of light suddenly hit his eye. Logan reached for the black cord around the man's neck and gently pulled on it, revealing a silver pendant. "Hours."

"Got it, let's get him to the hospital right away," Bates replied.

"You take him," Logan said with a shake of his head. "I'm going to check on the others." Bates paused, looking over at him. He licked his lips, pressing them together, looking like he was going to protest before he nodded his head, motioning for one of the fire fighters to help him.

"_Hey_!" Logan looked up in surprise just in time to see a man charge past him, arms scraped and bleeding. Blood smeared up his arm as he pushed up his shirt sleeves. "That's the idiot who caused this crash. He fell asleep at the wheel."

"Sir," Logan said, putting his hands up, gently pushing on the man's chest. "Sir, please don't. He's just as injured as you are."

"He could've killed me," the man spat.

"I understand that, sir, but please let us do our jobs," Logan said, trying to push the man back. "If you would just—" Logan grunted in pain when he was punched across the face, dropping to the ground.

"_Hey_!" Logan looked up to see Kendall rushing over towards the man. "Knock it off. Back off before I make you."

"You'll make me, huh?" the man asked, shoving Kendall's shoulders. "How so?"

"I have a tank on my back, sir," Kendall said, motioning towards the straps on his shoulders. "I won't hesitate to use it." He stumbled back when the man shoved him again.

"Sir, if you don't stop, I'm afraid I'm going to have to arrest you for delaying the work of these men," a voice said, stepping up beside them. Logan looked over at Carlos Garcia as he removed a set of handcuffs from his waist. "Would you rather you head downtown or get healed up first?" The man pressed his lips together. "That's what I thought. Go sit over there so I can get a statement from you, please."

"Thanks," Logan said, nodding in Carlos's direction as he got to his feet, dusting off his clothes.

"Not the first time some hot head tried to settle matters by himself," Carlos replied with a shrug, putting his handcuffs back. "Good to see you guys." He let out a low whistle. "Any idea of how this crash got started?"

"Man fell asleep at the wheel," Kendall replied, removing his helmet. "He was just sent off to the hospital." He then turned towards Logan. "Why didn't you go with him?"

Logan stepped out from underneath Kendall's hand to go back to his bag. "Conflict of interest," he replied as he started to pack up his stuff.

"What do you mean, 'conflict of interest'?" Carlos asked. "Hey." He patted Logan on the shoulder. "What do you mean—"

"I knew the person who was being lifted into that ambulance." Logan replied, getting to his feet, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. "And so do you guys."

He got blank stares in reply.

"It was James," he replied.

* * *

**Carlos Garcia**

**Police Officer**

"_…need more ambulances…_"

"_…fires are out…_"

"_…has to be seven cars…_"

"_…don't know if the driver was under the influence…_"

"_…need to clear lanes or it'll be a bad back up_…"

_"We've requested extra ambulances from firehouse 21. If you see any, please escort down the highway_."

"Heard," Carlos Garcia replied, pulling the small black radio box towards his mouth as he raced down the Los Angeles freeway, sirens blaring on his car. "Officer Garcia in car fourteen is responding to the multiple car pileup on the highway. Heading onto the north ramp by the exit." He released his radio and set it back into its cradle. _I hope there wasn't too much traffic_.

Los Angeles was notorious for its traffic. People never judged distances by how many miles it would take to get into the city but how much time it would take to get there. Nevertheless, you couldn't give a judgment of time without adding, "depending on traffic."

The hot air rushed past his windows, buffeting him with warm air as he hurried along the asphalt, trying to reach the scene of the accident. Voices rang through his radio, relaying the information from the scene of the accident.

Carlos glanced into his rearview mirror and saw a handful of police cars behind him, lights flashing and sirens blaring. His grip loosened and tightened on the steering wheel gathering sweat underneath his fingers. He ran a hand over his short-cut hair, letting out a breath of air.

There was small comfort in knowing that he would see Kendall and Logan while he was out, but it wasn't under the best circumstances. None of them had ever anticipated that they'd get into the field of public service. Hell, none of them really knew what they were going to do after Big Time Rush, and their preferred careers ended.

Kendall's old knee injury had flared up enough that hockey wasn't going to help things. Heck, running into burning buildings, carrying heavy equipment most likely wasn't helping, but he had always known Kendall to be the type to help people anyway he could.

Logan was the only one who stuck with his life goal of becoming a doctor. Being an EMT, while it wasn't exactly being a doctor, it was a step towards becoming a doctor and good field experience as well. Plus, from what Carlos could tell, it made him stop thinking about consequences and go with his gut feeling. Even more impressive, while Logan was working, he was still attending medical school.

Carlos sure as hell didn't know what he wanted to do after Big Time Rush ended. He always wanted to be on Broadway, but his friends, his brothers weren't going to be on stage with him, and that scared him. He was so used to harmonizing and dancing with his friends; they knew each other's strengths and weaknesses and could back each other up. When that was taken away, he was in a bit of a slump before deciding to follow in his dad's footsteps.

Despite not seeing his friends a lot, unless they were all called to the same accident, he was glad to know they were all still in the same city. They had tried their hardest to stay in contact with each other, but as they got more and more busy with their own schedules, the meet ups, calls, and e-mails came few and far between.

And James….he had barely heard from his friend since his first album dropped. He thought about him often and hoped he was doing well.

Carlos pressed his foot on the brakes, bringing his car to a slow crawl as he directed it onto the shoulder of the road as he came up to the scene of the accident. He popped open the car door and stepped out onto the rocky road, muttering a curse under his breath before he slammed the door shut, making his way onto the scene.

He first went over to a group who was being looked at by a couple of paramedics, taking down statements of what happened from their point of view. He could hear screams in the distance and crying mixed in with the shouts and sirens as everybody worked together to clear the roads of the accident. Many had gathered to watch the scene unfold, talking in hushed voices behind their hands.

"With all due respect, I'm going to have to ask you to get back in your cars," Carlos called as he straightened, rubbing his lower back with his hand as he tucked his report book under his arm. "It'll give us more room to work and keep you out of harm's way."

"Back in your cars," he heard his coworker, Sullivan, call from a few feet away from him. "Please, get back in your cars right now."

Carlos waved his arms, motioning for the citizens to get back to their cars, walking down the side of the road. Hearing a commotion, he turned his head and his heart skipped a beat when he saw a rough and tough looking man pushing Logan and Kendall around. He hurried over to them and with a few words, managed to get the man to back off. And then Logan dropped a bombshell on him.

_James caused the accident_, Carlos thought to himself, a cold wave washing over him. _James fell asleep at the wheel. James is on his way to the hospital. _He let out a shaky breath of air. He was frozen on the spot as everyone moved around him. All sounds were muffled in his ears. He watched as Kendall and Logan's lips moved, but he couldn't hear what they were saying. _I have to question James…if he survives._

He swallowed thickly, shaking his head back and forth. "Focus, Carlos," he whispered to himself. "Get your work done and then go see how he's doing." He ran his hands over his face and over his short hair before he rolled his shoulders, preparing himself to go back to work. He wasn't sure how he was going to focus on the task at hand, but he had to get his job done, first and foremost.

Easier said than done.

He and James were, arguably, the closest in the group. Sure, they were all best friends with each other, but they had small friendships with each other. James was the first to go along with any of his crazy plans and tour antics. He was the only person who he could have a convincing game of _Jurassic Park _anytime they had dinosaur shape chicken and tots.

"Hey." Carlos lifted his hand to shield his face from the sun as he turned towards Sullivan, who lifted a rag out of his pocket, wiping at his bald, sweaty head. "Go make sure your friend's ok. I'll talk to Sergeant Brown and explain it to him."

"I can't just leave," Carlos replied.

"You haven't seen the guy for as long as I've known you," Sullivan said, crossing his arms over his chest. He pushed his sunglasses up his nose with his index finger. "Get going. You won't be able to concentrate until you do. You need to be a friend now and not a worker."

Carlos opened his mouth to respond but quickly closed it, looking around at the scene around him. He pressed his lips together, his stomach rocking as he watched people being loaded into ambulances, crying family members beside them. Firefighters, looking worn out, removed their helmets, sitting at the side of the road, dumping bottles of water over their head, talking quietly. Some police officers waved oncoming traffic in a detour.

"Yeah, ok," he agreed. "Thanks, man."

Sullivan nodded in response and Carlos turned to make his way back to his car. As soon as he was inside, he slammed the door shut and slumped back in his seat. His throat locked as a lump formed. He let out a shaky breath as tears came to his eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut before reaching for his keys. _He might be ok. You don't know how he is, yet._

Carlos started up his car and carefully maneuvered into a U-turn, heading back into the city. He tightly gripped the steering wheel, breathing in and out of his nose as he raced to his friends' side._ Calm down Carlos. Just calm down_.

* * *

**James Diamond **

**Solo Artist**

Twelve.

James Diamond counted twelve high pitched beeps before it sunk in that he was alive…and in so much pain. As everything came rushing in around him, he tried to move, but was too sore to do so. His chest burned with each deep breath, rising and falling in time to the beeps. His fingers twitched at his sides.

"_James_?"

"Hmmm?" he managed to get out. His throat burned, his eyes stung, and as he tried to open them, they felt like they were being pulled shut by weights. He managed to blink them open just slightly, a bright light forcing him to close them again. A bubble of fear rose in his chest, threatening to pop.

"_I think he's waking up_."

"_Let's see._"

"_Put. The pillow. Down._"

"_Awwww._"

Those voices sounded so familiar to him, but so strange. He hadn't heard them in years, and yet they were still comforting. The bubble dissipated without incident, and James felt a wave of warmth wash over him, wrapping him in its arms, holding him tightly, securely.

He blinked open his eyes, the tops burning as the fluorescent lights shined down on him. He moved his hand to rub at his eyes, stopping when he felt a gentle tug on his hand. He turned his head slightly—the muscles in his neck screaming in protest—to spot a needle sticking out of the back of his head. He followed the chord with his eyes as far as he could before he spotted the machine that was the cause of the rhythmic beeping.

"_Dude, you look like shit_."

"_Carlos_!"

James gave a weak laugh, wincing as it turned into a wheezing cough, his chest searing with pain. He slowly crawled his hand onto his chest before opening his eyes fully. The gray ceiling came into view, as did the faces hovering above him. Kendall, Carlos, and Logan to his left, with Mrs. Knight and her familiar auburn hair to his right.

"Hey," he greeted quietly, stretching his lips upward into a smile. He groaned as he felt his lip split. He stuck out his dry tongue and tasted the metallic taste of blood.

"Here's some water," Logan said, handing him a cup. James took it between his hands, staring at it for a moment before he felt the back of his bed, angle him forward. His lips pressed together as he let out a squeak of pain, his abs bunching together, sharp stabs of pain robbing him of his breath. "Drink. I suspect your mouth is dry."

"Yeah," James replied, his voice coming out quiet and weak. He lifted the cup to his lips and poured the cool water into his mouth, savoring the liquid in his mouth, allowing it to cool him down. He closed his eyes as he slowly swallowed the water, letting out a sigh.

"You really scared us, James," Mrs. Knight said, cupping his cheek with her hand. James closed his eyes at the touch and she leaned over him to press a kiss to his temple. "What happened?"

"I don't know…" James replied. "One minute I was driving and the next…" He slowly lifted his shoulders in a shrug, groaning as he did so.

"You fell asleep at the wheel," Carlos explained and James drifted his eyes over to him.

It was so surreal to see everybody. The last time they had all been in the same room together was a little over a year after Big Time Rush ended when they were celebrating the release of his first solo album. Everyone was in better moods; smiles all around. He liked to remember them that way; before all the partying, all of the build ups and let downs, before all of the ignored calls.

He was the main reason Big Time Rush broke up and he couldn't even make a name for himself. Why would they want to talk to him? Surely, they saw how badly he flopped. But, he kept going; he wanted to prove to everybody, to Gustavo that he had "the fire", that he had that one _thing_ that got people's attention, that set him apart from others.

He was supposed to be the next Justin Timberlake.

He was _marketed_ to be the next Justin Timberlake.

He couldn't exactly pinpoint where it all went wrong; the late night parties?, the awards shows?, working with other big musicians?, the TV appearances? It didn't matter whether or not he was working to getting used to being a solo act, all those opportunities being thrown at him, being so busy, he didn't have time to dwell on it. In hindsight, he was pushing his support system away.

The same support system that had come back when they heard he was in trouble.

"Is…did I hurt anybody?" James asked. Carlos dropped his gaze to the ground and James felt a stab a fear. _Did I hurt you_?

"I'm sorry James…" Carlos said quietly, "but…uh, one didn't make it."

James squeezed his eyes shut, ignoring the pain in his arms as he swung up his hands to cover his eyes. "Oh, God," he moaned. "I didn't mean it."

"We know, James," Katie replied, "you'd never hurt a fly." She was sitting in a chair in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs. "James, you scared me. Don't do that again."

James merely blinked in her direction. He couldn't exactly promise that. "I'm going to jail aren't I?" he asked, his gaze returning towards the ceiling.

"Not necessarily," Logan replied. "You were under the influence of anything, and from what I gather, you weren't speeding or driving too slow, so—"

Tears welled in his eyes, distorting his vision before spilling down the side of his face. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, sorry," he sobbed. He got mutters of, "It's ok", and "don't worry about it" from his friends. From his family. "I'm sorry I never called. I'm sorry I pushed you away. I'm sorry I-"

"James," Kendall said and James loudly sniffed, shifting his eyes in Kendall's direction. Kendall gave a half smile. "Don't apologize." James choked out a gasp. "We could've done better to help you out or…give you support. _I _apologize. You're my brother; I should've seen something was going on."

"Yeah, me too," Logan agreed, scratching at the back of his neck. "We know firsthand how hard it is to get into the business; we should've known it's exceptionally harder going it alone."

"Yeah, and I doubt it's as fun without me there," Carlos commented and Logan drove his elbow into Carlos's side. "_What_"

"Seriously?" Logan asked, keeping his gaze on his friend. Carlos widened his eyes, shrugging.

"What'd I say?" he asked, turning towards Kendall.

"Nothing but the truth, Carlitos," Kendall replied, clapping his friend on the shoulder.

"Idiots," Katie muttered from the corner of the room. He looked over at Mrs. Knight and watched as she gave a heavy sigh, briefly closing her eyes, shaking her head back and forth.

James's lips stretched upwards into a smile. He started laughing and then he couldn't stop despite how much his chest and stomach ached. He couldn't help it. For a brief moment, it was like they hadn't grown apart at all, it was like they had never left the Palm Woods, it was like their family had never fallen apart.

"So, you're never going to believe what happened to Logan at the firehouse the other day," Kendall said to James. Logan groaned, his face turning bright red as he put a face in his hand. "It was a riot."

"Hey, it's not as good as what the others ask _Candidate Knight_ to do," Logan said, crossing his arms over his chest. "You should've seen it. But, it wasn't as good as the time Carlos did that dare on mischief night in eighth grade, remember?"

"I still can't believe you did that," James said, chuckling. He swallowed thickly, putting a hand to his chest. "Whoever thought you'd actually get caught in a tree you were trying to TP."

"Hey, it takes a champ to get out of that tight spot," Carlos said, puffing out his chest.

"Yeah, with a diversion from Katie," Kendall replied, jerking his thumb in the direction of his sister, who sat up straighter in the chair, smiling proudly.

"Do I even want to know?" Mrs. Knight asked, a hand to her forehead. There was silence in the room for a moment before they had all started to explain at once.

James just sat back and watched; a smile on his face. Despite the circumstances, he smiled the widest smile that graced his lips for the first time in years. He had his family back, he had his brothers back and for a moment, it was like they were back in the Palm Woods, regaling stories of their day.

He had high hopes for the future. With his brothers by his side, he knew he could take on the world. He'd need them in the times ahead. Just like it's always been.

* * *

**A/N: **I got the idea for this after talking out ideas for the sequel to _We Are_, and after watching _Chicago PD _(which is a great show), and _Chicago Fire_. Personally, I don't think _Chicago Fire_ is as good as _Chicago PD _(despite _PD _being a spin-off show of _Fire_) so I only watched the first episode at the time of writing this, but it was enough to give me this idea.

Can anyone figure out the little "Easter egg" I put into this one-shot?

Hope you liked it.

-Rhuben


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